# *TELEGRAM TO COMMANDERS

Source: PSS vol 50

OF REQUISITIONING DETACHMENTS ALONG ALL RAILWAY LINES

The Council of People's Commissars has been informed of completely inadmissible and pernicious behavior toward Soviet power by certain requisitioning detachments. The detachments were sent to carry out responsible service on railway lines to combat actual speculation. It is incumbent upon the commanders of the detachments to maintain the strictest discipline within their units; for the absence of such discipline, as well as for all misconduct of the detachment, the commanders shall answer strictly before the merciless court of the Revolutionary Tribunal. The detachments shall be informed that the Council of People's Commissars is convinced that conscious workers will not permit violations of the strictest proletarian discipline and will regard with utmost condemnation those who by their actions bring shame upon Soviet power. Should outright hooligans have infiltrated the detachments—those who do not submit to the directives of the central authority and their own commanders, or who bring shame upon the Soviet republic through bribery from bagmen—they must be immediately arrested by their commanders and local Soviets* and delivered under escort to Moscow for submission to the strictest judgment of the Revolutionary Tribunal.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars
Ulyanov (Lenin)

to the text, corrected,

supplemented and signed

by V. I. Lenin

* The text of the telegram: "by their commanders and local Soviets," as well as the word "certain" in the opening phrase of the telegram and below the word "bring shame" were written in V. I. Lenin's hand. —Ed.

A. A. IOFFE. 1 JULY 1918

Written 1 July 1918

First published in 1931

in Lenin Collection XVIII

Printed from the typewritten copy